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06/28/2010
Exclusive: National Org. For Marriage conclusively linked to Louis 'gays want prostitution, pedophilia, and polygamy' Marinelli
Okay, so this is going to take some explanation and concentration. But PLASE bear with us, because it's super important. And honestly, it's the sort of thing that really could take a MAJOR chunk out of NOM's protect marriage armor. Seriously. So let's get started...
First let's go back to early spring, when we noticed that someone was twittering under the seemingly official name of "NOMupdates," but putting out some very incendiary 140 character missives that were waaaay off the National Organization For Marriage's usual script. Tweets like this one, which comes straight from the playbook of disgraced researcher Paul Cameron:
After seeing a few such off-message tweets, we wrote both Brian Brown and Maggie Gallagher, asking if this Twitter account was in fact an official NOM project. Shocker: Neither responded.
But it's a funny thing, silence: It tends to make an activist more diligent. So while waiting for the official NOM response to ultimately never come, we continued to dig. In doing so, we found that this very Twitter account was linked to the "Protect Marriage: One Man One Woman" Facebook page, a site that had far more followers than NOM's own official Facebook offering. And just like the "NOMupdates" Twitter account with which it was associated, the "protect Marriage" Facebook page was also using official NOM logos:
(screencap taken in May)
And we also noticed that the whole thing was connected to another site, protectmarriagesite.com, and to a man by the name of Louis J. Marinelli III. Again: The ProtectMarriageSite.com url was also using official NOM branding. So naturally, we wanted to know more about who and what was behind all this.
Okay, keeping up? Good. We promise this is going somewhere.
While we were doing our spring digging, the "NOMUpdates" Twitter account was abruptly pulled. Something that made total sense to us at the time, since it seemed the Twitter feed seemed like a rogue effort that was drastically pulling away from NOM's messaging. We assumed that once Maggie and Co. caught wind of it, they set out to protect their name, reputation, and image, as it were. They are, after all, all about making themselves seem like "non-haters."
However, before the "NOMUpdates" feed was yanked (again, presumably by NOM), we noticed that there was an older Twitter account under the name "OneMan_OneWoman" that was posting the exact same things as the "NOMUpdates" one. Here, check it out:
(A cache of the now-yanked "NOMUpdates" account)
(A screengrab from The still-active "OneMan_OneWoman" account)
The two accounts, the pulled and the active, are exact mirror images. So clearly the two accounts were/are linked. And all of it linked/links back to the aforementioned "Protect Marriage:One Man,One Woman" Facebook account, to ProtectMarriageSite.com, and to Mr. Marinelli. But even so, we still weren't sure if it all officially linked back to NOM.
Okay, so phase two: We next found out that we weren't the only ones taking notice. At the same time that our curiosity became piqued, blogger Matt Algren was doing his own detective work. And in his own post examining the words and deeds of Mr. Marinelli, Matt scored a major coup in this investigation: Confirmation that NOM does in fact work with Marinelli in a close capacity. In fact, Louis identifies himself as an official "NOM strategist":
Dear Friends of Marriage,
Our four-year old internet-based cause has officially joined with The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and we will be proudly working on their behalf from now on.
Please take a minute to view the website if you are unfamiliar with NOM:
http://www.nationformarriage.org
Thank you,
Louis Marinelli
NOM Strategist
So once we had that confirmation that Mr. Marinelli is, in fact, in NOM's inner circle, we started considering all of the eye-opening things that he had seen Marinelli tweet over the past few months. And frankly, we were shocked. Because in addition to the "gays have shorter life spans" one, there was a retweet that declared all gays to be single. There was the time that Mr. Marinelli said that Peter LaBarbera and his fringe "Americans For Truth" group merely "tell the truth about homosexuality." There was the determination that marriage equality is "a mockery and a hijacking of the civil rights movement." There were times when he flat-out called us an abomination, citing Leviticus. There was this one: "Deviance" describes actions or behaviours that violate cultural norms - homosexuality is far from a cultural norm. Therefore, it is deviant." And this: "Homosexuality and gay marriage are wrong and harmful to society." And this: "#iaintafraidtosay that there shouldn't be any recognition of homosexual relationships because that is saying that homosexuality is OK." There was this one, accompanied by a smile: "What they do is blantantly [sic] immoral. :)" There were times when Mr. Marinelli compared our unions to that which might exist between a sterile brother and sister. And other times when our very character was assaulted: "#nevertrust activists of the homosexual agenda - they are deceitful people who care only about themselves and not what's best for society." And so on and so on.
And then there were the even more HOLY CRAPBALLS!-inducing videos that he tweeted. Here's one from Mr. Marinelli's professional Youtube page, wherein he says gays are pushing the "3 P's: Prostitution, Pedophilia, and Polygamy":
[*UPDATE, 6PM: In a very telling turn of events, someone changed the video settings private! The don'y want you seeing the fact -- THE FACT -- that "NOM strategist" Marinelli claimed gays want "prostitution, pedophilia, and polygamy."
We're looking for a backup!]
[**UPDATE, 7/7/10: And now, finally, a backup copy:
The video is absolute nuttery that you'd think even Brian Brown, Maggie Gallagher, Robert George, and the whole NOM team would repudiate, right? Right? RIGHT?!
Well, wrong. Because here, my friends, is where it gets really good (in that frighteningly bad anti-gay way)!!!!!!
Back in March, Marinelli tweeted two things of note: (1) Yet another confirmation that he is working directly with NOM, and (2) a mention of a Summer Marriage Tour that he's planning:
From best we can tell from all of our digging and a close examination of the timelines: This "marriage tour" started out as a rogue Marinelli project, something that he set up on both the "Protect Marriage" Facebook page and on his associated Protect Marriage site way back in early Spring. But now -- BUT NOW! -- NOM has embraced Marinelli's efforts WHOLE HOG! Last week, on their official "NOMTweets" Twitter, Maggie or Brian or whoever was tweeting at the time sent out a link to Marinelli's "Protect Marriage" Facebook page, saying that it was a way for NOM followers to "join the NOM team":
(**Check the ow.ly if you want: It points here, to Louis' F'book site)
Now remember: NOM has their own official Facebook page. They've simply chosen to bypass that and instead embrace the one with more followers. The one that was created by Louis "prostitution, pedophilia, and polygamy" Marinelli. Interesting.
And then -- AND THEN! -- NOM signed on to this summer marriage tour with the force of a thousand shitting bulls. They teased about it in press releases and in Brian Brown's weekly e-missives. And in fact this week NOM is planning to launch an official organizational microsite which promotes the tour:
*An official NOM creation, promoting Marinelli's brainchild: http://marriagetour2010.com/
(*The above has not yet been announced -- we found it while doing yet more digging)
So now we have lock solid, indisputable knowledge that NOM is working 100% with this beyond incendiary figure! So anytime over the next few months when we hear NOM pushing this summer marriage tour -- and Goddess knows we will -- we are DUTY BOUND to label this effort the "Louis 'gays want prostitution, pedophilia, and polygamy' Marinelli Marriage Tour." And we are equally duty-bound to let any and everyone know that *THIS* is the kind of person and rhetoric that NOM now supports in an official capacity: A man who quotes Paul Cameron. A man who calls us abominations. A man who says gay activists are inherently deceitful. A man who accuses us of hijacking God's rainbow:
(another video from Marinelli's official YT channel)
All of this is now part of NOM's official messaging, sent forth from their "Strategist" and summer tour roadie. Until they repudiate it in full, this is on their legacy. Louis Marinelli is officially Maggie Gallagher's colleague. They have made their uber-fiery bed: They will now lie in it (and not in the way they usually lie about things)!
**
*UPDATE: Humorously, Marinelli and Co. are now trying to reel it back.
***
*SEE ALSO: Freedom To Marry is launching a counter initiative. You best believe we will be working with them to get the word out:
Freedom to Marry's Summer for Marriage
"Celebrating Love, Commitment, and the Safety Net of Marriage"
New York, NY - Earlier this month, the anti-gay group, "National Organization for Marriage" (NOM), announced a summer tour across 17 states and the District of Columbia to "protect marriage." In NOM's call to action, they declared that "this is an urgent time for marriage," that "a strong marriage...makes a strong family," and that "groups of these strong families make strong neighborhoods" and "strong towns, cities, and states." We at Freedom to Marry couldn't agree more, and we would like to thank NOM for drawing attention this summer to the love, commitment, and the crucial safety net that marriage brings to families across the country.
Today, Freedom to Marry is announcing that we will join NOM in embracing this summer as a Summer for Marriage. We will do this by spreading the word across the country about the importance of ending exclusion from marriage. As part of Freedom to Marry's Summer for Marriage, we are working with our supporters, as well as local and state partners, to plan rallies and other events wherever NOM is planning to push discrimination and distort the truth about gay couples and their families. In 17 states and the District of Columbia, we will share our stories and demonstrate how the denial of marriage harms same-sex couples and their families, while helping no one.
Freedom to Marry has always believed that the best way to change hearts and minds is to break the silence, spark conversations, and share personal stories about why marriage matters to same-sex couples and their families. But we also know that we cannot allow the distractions, distortions, and discriminatory agenda of groups like NOM to go unanswered. In advertising their summer tour, NOM referred to supporters of the freedom to marry as the "iconoclasts" who "pillage the values of our Nation". Nothing could be further from the truth. We will continue to demonstrate that there is nothing more American then embracing the Golden Rule and celebrating love, commitment, and equal protection under the law.
Freedom to Marry's Summer for Marriage tour will begin next month and last through August. We invite gay people and non-gay allies across the country to join Freedom to Marry in making this a Summer for Marriage for all loving couples who choose to embrace the commitment of marriage. Stay tuned - and sign-up at freedomtomarry.org - for updates and ways to show what being for marriage really looks like.
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